Others have devised a variety of ball throwing games in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,145,220, granted Jan. 24, 1939, to D. C. Cupstid for "Game Apparatus" discloses a baseball throwing game in which balls thrown at a target are returned to the player by a motorized conveyor belt. The game apparatus disclosed is not automated and scoring is manual.
A more sophisticated ball game is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,292, granted Mar. 22, 1977, to M. Cohen, et. al. for "Automatic Basketball Game Having Scoring Indicator and Time Limitation". This game is automated for scoring and timing and for controlling the number of basketballs made available to a player for each game. A gravity ball return system is employed with a solenoid-actuated plunger controlling dispensing of balls. The balls which have not been dispensed are kept out of reach of the player.
Neither the Cupstid apparatus nor the Cohen, et. al. apparatus lends itself to handling the ovoid shaped football or the more complex rules governing progress of the passing aspects of a football game.